True World Order
by Tressimir
Summary: A group calling itself the True World Order has placed Japan under martial law, using unknown technology to enforce its control. Yu Narukami and Naoto Shirogane, a young couple that's had more than their fair share of strange happenings, will once again find themselves at the center of events - with a much grander scale in play. YuNao, sequel to Intrigue.
1. Martial Law

**Author's Note:** This was written on the spur of the moment and without any prior thought. As a result, this may not be up to the standards of my other work. Proceed with caution.

-Tressimir

"You're sure this is the right course of action, Tsujimura-san?" A woman's voice sounded through the dark room, the nine figures within just barely visible to one another in the dim light.

A man's voice replied in a carefree tone, "Of course, Nitta-san. Do you really think I'd lead us all this way if I wasn't certain?" His voice became more serious as he added, "We have our technology. We have our minions. We have power that nothing on Earth can stop. This is only the beginning, but the groundwork must be laid before we can expand our operations."

"Hmph, I've never seen you take anything this seriously. But if this works, I'll forgive you for being so laid back all the time – we can create a new world order with this." The second man's voice was so low as to rumble the table, a voice like stones grinding together.

The man named Tsujimura laughed and stated, "The time has come. Let's show Japan what the Shin-Sekaichitsujo is capable of!"

Those in attendance stood and placed their right fists over their hearts, declaring in unison, "For a new world!"

Yu Narukami stood at one of the many windows adorning the Shirogane estate, looking out at his beloved town of Inaba. The streets, which had once been busy for such a small town, were receiving noticeably less traffic – those who were walking around made sure to hurry to their destinations. In one short week, Inaba had changed from a bucolic small town to a community ruled by fear.

The source of that fear was easily seen, at least in part. Individuals in black military uniforms, features concealed by masks and caps, were posted around the town to watch the citizenry from behind cold, dark-tinted lenses. But these figures, as intimidating as they were, weren't what terrified the people so – that was done by the power they wielded. These soldiers could summon beings from nowhere, beings obviously not of this world and far stronger than any human. Those who had witnessed a summoning and survived called them 'demons.' These demons were the weapons that enforced Japan's new martial law, the system the commanding figures called the 'True World Order' and enforced with brutal efficiency.

Yu's thoughts were disrupted by the sound of the front door opening. Rushing to see who had entered, he was relieved to see a young woman with long navy blue hair walking across the threshold. "Thank God, you're back."

"You don't need to sound so worried." The young woman responded, brushing her hair out of her face.

"I sound that way because I am worried, Naoto! At least tell me before you go out so I can come with you!" He sighed with exasperation and relief – the former because of her insistence on going out alone, the latter at the fact that she'd come home safe anyway.

Naoto Shirogane fixed her fiancé with a hard gaze and said, "I don't need protection, Yu. Ever since Inaba was put under martial law, you've been acting so paranoid…"

"I worry about you, Naoto. It's not safe for a girl to be out alone anymore." Yu stepped forward and reached out to take her hand, only to have it slapped away roughly. He gazed into Naoto's eyes in shock as his love's expression became angry.

"Stop acting like I have to be protected because I'm a woman! You were never this sexist before; what's gone wrong with you?!" The lady detective was shouting, the first time he'd heard that tone in a long time. Her gray-blue eyes were narrowed in anger as she strode stiffly past him, not sparing a glance his way.

Yu watched her walk away, murmuring, "I'm not the only one who's changed. Grandfather's death has affected us both, Naoto."

As he made his way to the room he and his beloved fiancée shared, he heard her crying softly on the other side of the door. Hesitating to walk in on her, he stopped and listened to her words.

"Grampa… What's gone wrong with the world? Everything we knew is gone… Our entire existence has changed. I don't know what to do, and it terrifies me." Naoto's voice was choked with tears as she spoke to the one who wasn't there. "Please, Grampa… If you're looking down at me, tell me what I'm supposed to do. I need your help more than ever, I can't solve this case on my own." Her words failed her as she broke down into sobs, overwhelmed by the change in the world.

Opening the door quietly so she wouldn't notice, Yu stepped behind his beloved and wrapped his arms around her gently. "Everything will be fine, Naoto. We'll find our place in this world." He held the young lady close as she cried, and laid with her as she rested with thoughts of her filling his dreams.

The couple's peaceful sleep was shattered by the sound of footsteps, a squad of black-clad masked soldiers entering their room. "Yu Narukami." The leader intoned in a flat, mechanical voice. "You have been selected. Come with us."

The silverette and his love immediately positioned themselves across the room from the intruders, Naoto fumbling with the dresser drawer to get at her revolver. Her efforts were stymied, however, by a bolt of electricity that arced from one of the soldiers' fingertip and struck her chest, sending her collapsing to the ground with spasming muscles and a scream of pain. "You bastards!" Yu shouted, pulling open the drawer but freezing as the other five soldiers began gesturing toward Naoto.

"The girl is expendable. We will continue to hurt her until you cooperate." The leader's flat voice pierced the air, staring at Yu with its matte black lenses. "You have been selected. Come with us, or the girl will suffer."

Gritting his teeth, Yu slowly walked forward with a muttered, "Damn you." Glancing over his shoulder at Naoto, he looked into his love's eyes and said, "I'll be back as soon as I can, Naoto. Don't worry." The words were a false promise, and he knew it. No one who had been taken by the black soldiers had ever returned.

"Mission complete." The lead soldier said before knocking Yu unconscious with a single blow, one of its subordinates picking him up as if he weighed nothing. "Do not attempt pursuit. To do so will forfeit your life." The words were directed at Naoto as she began to pick herself up, glaring at the retreating figures as they vanished into the dark corridor.

Tears filled the young woman's eyes as she watched her beloved disappear. "Yu… YUUUUUUU!" She screamed, the blood pounding in her ears before she passed out.


	2. An Unlikely Alliance

Yu awoke to a pounding in his head as his vision slowly returned to him. Attempting to shift his stiff arms, he found himself locked into a large device that consisted of a cocoon-like metal shell containing restraints that held his arms and legs immobile. He instinctively began struggling against the cold metal, but a feminine voice cut through his growing panic. "That won't help."

Snapping his gaze to the speaker, he saw a young woman leaning against the wall. She appeared to be around his age and was very pretty, with emerald eyes and fiery orange hair that fell in charmingly unkempt layers around her face and neck. Her build was slim and athletic, with black clothing hugging her modest curves and accentuating her feminine form. Noticing his gaze, she asked, "Why are you staring at me?"

"Who are you?" He asked, recovering from his shock at seeing such an attractive girl as his captor. "Where am I, and what have you done to me?" His voice was a low growl of barely suppressed rage, but the girl didn't seem at all fazed by his animosity.

Closing her eyes briefly, she answered in an emotionless tone, "I'm not the one to answer your questions. I will inform my lady that you are awake, and she will converse with you." Opening her eyes and fixing him with a cold stare, she added, "That is not a guarantee that she will inform you of anything. Do not struggle; it will only tire you out." Pushing herself off the wall gracefully, she turned on her heel and walked out.

It seemed like an eternity before the girl returned, her face still devoid of expression as she resumed her position against the wall. Behind her, another woman in black emerged, her face shadowed by the military cap she wore and her long black coat sweeping around her ankles. "Narukami-san, you're finally awake." She said in a matter-of-fact voice. "I know you have questions, and I'm prepared to answer them, but I want to get introductions out of the way first. My name is Kumiko Nitta, the Gale of Kantō and one of the commanders of the True World Order."

"A commander…?" Yu hissed through clenched teeth. "So you're one of the ones responsible for putting Japan in this mess? You scum!"

Kumiko's expression remained neutral as he spoke, and once he had quieted the woman shook her head. "It's true, my associates and I are the ones to blame for the current situation. We followed our leader blindly and missed our chance to prevent this as a result. That is why I had you brought here – I hope you can assist me in stopping this madness I helped unleash."

Yu let out a snort of derision in response. "You raided my home, caused pain to my love, and forced me here against my will, and now you expect me to help you? What could I even do against those inhuman soldiers you have?"

"More than you think." Kumiko replied shortly. "The purpose behind the mandatory biological testing wasn't just to ensure any citizen could be identified; our technology can detect supernormal influences present in a person's physical being. Several residents of Inaba in particular tested positively for a resonance we have no prior information on." She took off her hat briefly, smoothing out her long light brown hair as she explained.

"Supernormal influences? Resonance? What are you talking about?" Yu noticed a slight smile on Kumiko's lips as she replaced her hat, as if she expected his confusion.

"Allow me to explain then." She began, her voice much gentler now. "The True World Order's power is focused on unique technology, a fusion of modern science and ancient rituals. With this technology we can harness energies that operate on different wavelengths of reality than most people can perceive, and which most people believe to be the stuff of legend. Some call it magic, others refer to it as miracles – but no matter the name, we can control it. The pinnacle of this technology is the process of summoning, calling forth entities that do not exist wholly in our reality and controlling them via automated rituals. It's a process that's been around for millennia; we just streamlined it."

His mind struggled to comprehend Kumiko's words, but eventually the meaning of her explanation dawned on him. "So when people called those monsters your soldiers summoned 'demons,' they were right? You can summon actual demons?"

"Exactly." Kumiko smiled, nodding with satisfaction. "Though 'demon' is a very general term. The beings we summon range from demons to mythological creatures to gods both current and past; all can be commanded using our summoning rituals. And the biological tests we performed indicated that you possess a similar power yourself. I'm hoping you'll use that power to help me rectify the mistake I helped perform." The smiled faded from the woman's lips as she turned her eyes downward.

Yu closed his eyes, trying to think of what power his captor could be speaking of. _A power similar to demon summoning rituals… Several residents of Inaba testing positively for that power…_ His eyes snapped open as a single word sprang to the front of his mind. "Persona."

With a quizzical glance, Kumiko asked, "Persona? What do you mean, Narukami-san?"

"A little over three years ago, my friends and I helped solve the serial murder case in Inaba. In doing so, we ended up with a power called 'Persona,' the ability to manifest our inner selves in the other world that was involved in the case. It only worked in a world other than our own and was something we couldn't fully understand – pretty similar to your demon summoning rituals." Yu explained the power of Persona to Kumiko, whose expression turned from one of confusion to satisfied understanding.

"That must be it. Just to make sure, I'll give you the names of the others who tested positively for the strange resonance: Yosuke Hanamura, Chie Satonaka, Yukiko Amagi, Kanji Tatsumi, Rise Kujikawa, Teddie, Naoto Shirogane and Tohru Adachi." The commander nodded to herself and added, "It was strange that all these anomalies lived in the same area, at least at some point."

Yu nodded firmly. "That's them. Yosuke, Chie, Yukiko, Kanji, Rise, Teddie and Naoto were my friends and partners in the case, and Adachi-san was the killer we were hunting for. All of us possessed the power of Persona."

"Excellent… If my research team's hypothesis is correct, this Persona ability is compatible with our demon-summoning techniques - in which case, you and your friends are extremely well-suited to using it. So, back to my original request; will you use the summoning technology in order to help overthrow my comrades?" The woman folded her arms over her chest, her gaze cool yet burning with underlying emotion.

Yu thought about his words for a moment before slowly responding, "I'll help, but on one condition. My friends, my family and Naoto – don't hurt them. If they're kept safe from harm, I'll work with you, but I won't have them put in danger."

Kumiko nodded and pressed a button on the side of the large shell, Yu's restraints opening and allowing him to move freely again. Extending her hand, she said, "I promise. I look forward to working alongside you, Narukami-san."

Yu grasped Kumiko's hand in a firm handshake, his eyes meeting hers. "Just make sure you keep your promise, Nitta-san."


End file.
